


it's the end of the world as we know it (and i'm feeling fine)

by orphan_account



Series: edling week 2018 [5]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Edling Week 2018, Fluff, M/M, Minor Violence, Power Couple, its an apocalypse au did you think there wouldnt be blood, yeah they did that back to back fighting thing bc im weak for cliches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 19:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14984078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: it’s been nearly 11 months since the first government building fell, 8 weeks since ling and his cousin have been on the streets, and approximately 16 days and 17 hours since he’s seen his boyfriend.so, he's doing peachy. it is the apocalypse after all(edling week day five- apocalypse au)





	it's the end of the world as we know it (and i'm feeling fine)

**Author's Note:**

> SHIT TODAY IS DAY FIVE ISN'T IT

It’s been months since the first government building fell, weeks since Ling and his cousin have been on the streets, and approximately 16 days and 17 hours since he’s seen his boyfriend.

 

The city’s been on fire for as long as he can remember. They’d announced an outbreak of a virus just a year ago, claiming that there was a poisonous gas outbreak that turned people into ravenous, flesh-eating cannibals. He and Lan Fan had run into a few of them in the last town, an unfortunate mother, and child. It was hard, taking all the non-perishable foods left in their disheveled kitchen while the mom and her kid just sat hunched over in the corner, breathing deeply through their mouths and their unblinking white eyes staring straight ahead. Newly turned Ravagers were sensitive to the outside air, so Lan Fan just kept their focus on survival, unlike their idiot cousin. Ling was horribly empathetic when he wanted to; his first encounter with a Ravager involved him trying to talk it down and ended with Edward smashing its jaw out with his bat. 

 

“You gotta be more careful, Ling.”, he had said, helping Ling to his feet. “Ravagers aren’t humans anymore, they won’t fall for your charmingly good looks.”

 

Edward knew what Ravagers were like firsthand, as a small group of them had taken his arm and leg. It wasn’t odd seeing people walk around with prosthetics here and there, even Lan Fan has one. But Edward had been alone during the attack, way before he’d grouped up with Winry and Alphonse. He knew firsthand that trying to talk down a bunch of flesh-eaters from making your limbs their midnight snack was a useless tactic in itself.

 

“Stop worrying.” Lan Fan says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s only been 6 days since we left them back in North City. They’ll catch up soon. Knowing Edward, the minute he found medicine for Alphonse’s dizzy spells, they would be on their way.” They squeeze his hand gently and keep walking.

 

Ling sighs, running a hand through his hair. It’s buzzed all the way up to a bun on the top of his head; Ravagers love pulling on anything they can get their grubby little hands on. “You’re right, but I’m still going to worry about him. We both know that traveling with injuries makes you a bigger target. I don’t know what he’ll do with Winry and Alphonse to take care of along with himself.” If his nail beds weren’t history. he’d be picking at them with vigor. Ever since the outbreak, Ling’s felt as if he’s developed some sort of separation anxiety. They’ve traveled with other groups, and every time they’ve separated, he’s felt some sort of nervousness about the fate of their survival. 

 

“Heads up.”, Lan Fan says. Ling shakes himself out of his thoughts and goes for the sword at his side. “There's a convenience store up ahead, be careful.”

 

“Right.” He nods, opting for the knives strapped to the inside of his jacket. Convenience stores are like spawning grounds for other scavengers, some less friendly than others. Ling’s first scar, running through his eyebrow and down his face, came from a girl no younger than he was who nearly shanked his eye out in his sleep for a can of diced pineapples. Having fruit was rare, veggies even more so. Most of the campers they met were people making do off of canned soup and old frozen meals. 

 

Luckily for them, they've been in an abandoned part of the town for a while. The store is almost completely empty and stocked full of everything they could possibly use. Lan Fan nearly cries with relief as they stuff a few pill bottles of ibuprofen in their bag. Bandages are definitely a must, as well as bottled water and disinfectant. Ling takes a few bags of dried fruit too, then goes back for a candy bar or two. 

 

"We don't need those.", Lan Fan says, eyeing the 5 Twix bars shoved haphazardly in his pack. "We practically cleaned out that 7-Eleven for necessities, not candy."

 

Ling groans. 'I haven't had anything but canned fruit cocktail and saltines in, like, forever, Lan Fan. Let me live a little. It's the goddamn apocalypse, after all."

 

They sigh. "If we die because you had to get a candy bar, I'm going to beat your ass here, then when we get to the afterlife, I'm going to beat your ass a second time."

 

He smiles, holding up a green packet of sour Skittles. "And yet, you still love me."  They gasp, snatching it out of his hands and tearing it open with their teeth. Ling takes out a water bottle and downs an ibuprofen, the lingering pain in his arm and hands subsiding. He's practically broken them over and over since they left North City Hospital, punching Ravagers left and right, with Ed having practically all of his weapons. Ling's been stuck with a tarnished old katana, a taser, and bronze knuckles for a few weeks. Winry demanded that Lan Fan let her have the biggest gun they had, then proceeded to bury two of its bullets in the eyes of a freshly turned Ravager without batting an eye. 

 

Winry kept the gun. Alphonse got a knife, and Edward took two knives and a shotgun to add to his arsenal. Ling was just thankful for more room in his duffel bag, although Ed looked a bit heavier when Ling had pressed the gun into his hands. 

 

"I know you don't like these.", Ling had said. "But I need you to be safe when me and Lan Fan leave."

 

Ed had scoffed, rubbing at his eyes. His contacts had run out a while ago, hadn't they? "I'll be fine with Sunshine and the knives, Ling. You don't need to give me this too."

 

Ling frowned, a soft sadness settling into the hard lines beneath his eyes. "This is a tool for survival. It's a tool to keep you alive, enough with that purity bullshit. This is the only way I know you're gonna come back to me. Edward, please, just take it. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love you."

 

"Don't pull that fuckery with me, Ling." Edward had swiped the gun from his outstretched hand and placed it into the shoulder holster Hawkeye had given him. Ling wasn't going to admit that he thought it was kinda hot, especially with it over the tight shirt he was wearing. "I don't need you to let me kill people for me and say it's out of love. That's not what we do. We try our best to survive and work out the rest. " Then he'd grabbed Ling by the collar of his jacket and given him a hard kiss on the lips. It had been their last kiss before Lan Fan told him it was time to go, and there wasn't a day that Ling didn't think about Edward since then. 

 

It has now been 16 days, 20 hours, and Ling has never felt so empty. 

 

* * *

 

"Are you guys sure you'll be alright here?", Edward asks, peeking in through the curtain that separates his room from Winry and Al's.

 

"Stop asking us that, brother.", Al says. He's got his head in Winry's lap, shivering slightly as Winry places a cool cloth on his head. His epileptic episodes have been getting worse; just the other night he and Winry had to take turns carrying Alphonse down to this abandoned strip mall since he'd completely passed out after his episode had subsided. It was grueling, with only one person to protect the remaining two is anyone would've attacked them. But upper North City is well off enough that no one's dumb enough to try and jump a bunch of teenagers in the middle of the night, and during the apocalypse to boot. 

 

"Yeah, Ed. We'll be fine here." Winry removes the cloth she has on Al's forehead and dips it into a basin of cold water. "Major Armstrong is pretty hellbent on making sure we're gonna continue to be fed here, even without your help." She wrings the rag out and places it back on his head, smoothing back Al's hair as she does. "You, however, can't stay here. This is a safe house for people who can't fight, and I've got my hands full taking care of Al and everyone else."

 

Ed scoffs. "You could leave here any time you wanted to, Win. We both know that anyone here would love to take care of Al, look at him, he's a blessing."

 

Alphonse gives his brother a weak smile. "I wish I didn't have to stay here, though. We were doing so much better in the city. This mall is the perfect place from Ravagers to come and make lunch out of us, and the only thing I can do is pass out and fucking froth at the mouth like I'm dying."

 

Ed's face hardens. "Don't say that about yourself. It's not true and you know it. We've made it nearly a year without knowing you were epileptic, and I'm determined to finish this year out with my brother." He ruffles Al's hair. "If I hear you say one more thing like that, I'm gonna kick your ass from here to Sunday."

 

Winry laughs. "That sounds like our Ed." She tugs him down and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Be safe out there, alright? We'll hold down the fort here at Briggs."

 

Edward smiles, then moves to pack his things. He's only taken out a few of his clothes and the kife that he keeps under his pillow gets strapped back to his side, its weight reassuring against his thigh He'll leave the soap and toothpaste with Al and Winry, they'll probably get a better use out of it than him. 

 

Alphonse is asleep by the time Ed has to leave. It's terrifying how simple things tire him out already, but Edward tugs the threadbare blankets up over his brother and closes the curtain behind him.  

 

Major Armstrong catches him at the door, both hands clutched to her katana like she's posing for a statue carving. "You're really leaving, pipsqueak?", she asks, raising an eyebrow. 

 

Ed grits his teeth, but nods. "Winry and my brother would be a lot better here. Winry's an asthmatic and Al's epilepsy is getting worse. Take care of them for me, at least until I come back."

 

The Major sneers, but hands him a small scrap of fabric. "You know I don't do caretaking, Elric. But if you do end up surviving, come back with this, Miles and Buccaneer should let you in with no problems."

 

He smiles, tying the blue fabric around his wrist. "You aren't that bad, Major."

 

Olivier laughs, pushing him out the door with the butt of her sword case. "Now get out of here before I toss you out myself!"

 

"Yes, ma'am!", he says, giving her a joking salute. She returns it with stone-cold seriousness and closes the doors behind him. 

 

Miles gives him a small wave from his lookout position. "Bring me some food when you come back, will ya, Edward?", he jokes.

 

Edward gives him a thumbs up. "I'll do my best, Major."

 

He laughs. "Don't get yourself killed out there, and the boss might just let you join us."

 

Buccaneer sneers from where he's leaning against the poles of the lookout tower. A twig sits in his hands, slowly gaining a point from where he carves at it. "The shrimp's too skinny to be one of us, Miles. The only redeeming quality of his is that over-excited girl of his. She's cute, ain't she, Elric?"

 

Edward flushes. "She's got a girlfriend, Captain. And I've got someone too."

 

Miles and Buccaneer coo at him, then look at each other and laugh. 

 

"You aren't that bad, Elric." Buccaneer tosses him the small knife he’d been carving with and Ed barely catches it between his fingers before it impales itself in his nose. 

 

"Oh, very funny." He shoves the knife into the straps sewn into his army jacket. "That's gonna end up in the skull of some dirty Ravager, by the way."

 

Buccaneer points a finger at him. "Better it than you, kid."

 

Edward carries that with him as he moves out of the grove of trees that hides Briggs from the public. Despite the cold weather, fires blaze in old oil drums along the sidewalk. Bloodied bodies of Ravagers litter the streets, green smoke rising off of them as they decay in the setting sun. 

 

He’s doing fine, that is until a group of them spot him. 

 

"Shit!", he curses. They lumber towards him, their awkward limbs flapping grotesquely. Their jaws glisten with drool as their milky eyes set on Edward. 

 

One of them had a bullet lodged firmly in its throat, the wound oozing blackish blood. Of course, the fucking zombies learn to evolve. 

 

Edward reaches for his bat, testing it against his hands. Sunshine's pretty heavy for a baseball bat, but she's just perfect for Edward. As he swings the bat around, the Ravager's skulls collapse like rotten apples. It's the first time he hasn't stuck a knife in something then fucking bolted, so the sensation is enough to make his stomach roll.

 

"Hungry..", moans a lone Ravager. It bites into Edward's arm with relish, confused when it sees shiny steel beneath the torn fabric.

 

"Yeah, bet you don't like the taste of that, do you, bastard?!" Edward yells and digs his elbow into its eye socket. The gore stains his jacket an even darker read Dammit, and he'd really liked this jacket too. Oh well, he'll probably be able to steal one from an abandoned Goodwill if he could.

 

Eventually, brute force isn't enough to take them down. The few Edward managed to send tumbling managed get back up, stumbling with their skulls caved in at ugly angles and pink brain matter leaking out of every hole. He slings Sunshine in between his jacket straps and pulls Ling's gun out of his back pocket. 

 

"This is a tool for survival.", he'd said. _The only way I'll get back to Ling_. 

 

Two bullets whiz through the air, finding a home in the forehead of a bleeding Ravager. Ed shoots and shoots until the gun clicks, drowning out the screams of were what civilians with gunpowder and desperation. _Fucking empty, dammit_. He goes for his knives instead, slashing the zombies across any skin he can find.

 

"Will the idiot with the knives in aisle 8 please ask for some goddamned help?", a voice booms. Edward looks around, only to see his idiot boyfriend and his cousin crouching dramatically on a roof. 

 

Ed grins. "Ling! How'd you find me!?"

 

Ling smiles back, then elbows Lan Fan. "Their bullshit radar was going wild, like, I'm talking off the charts, so we knew it wasn't me."

 

Lan Fan rolls their eyes but gives Ed a rare smile. "It's good seeing you again, Edward."

 

Edward smiles back. "Good to see you, too. Now can you two _please_ stop playing Batman on that roof and come help me? I think these freaks are starting to realize that not all of my appendages are made of metal and that I'm edible."

 

"Will do, babe." Ling leaps off the roof and lands expertly on his feet. Lan Fan claps sarcastically before burying a throwing knife into the neck of a Ravager. Their thro hits home in its jugular and it goes down thrashing. 

 

Ling backs up toward Edward until their shoulder blades touch. "Oh, I  see you've gotten taller.", he coos, twisting his sword deep into a zombie's stomach. "A few weeks ago, you only came up to my forearm."

 

"Now isn't the time for this, Ling!" Ed takes his bat back out and begins smashing out teeth left and right. "But since you asked, Winry's been holding me down and forcing whatever milk we can find down my throat. I've taken a reluctant liking to almond milk, though. You ignore the taste after a while, along with holding your nose and chugging the carton."

 

Ling turns to him, eyes wide. "Duck!" 

 

Ed barely has any time to dodge before Ling swings his sword over his head. When Edward opens his eyes, the head of a now dead Ravager drops onto the floor and slowly rolls away. 

 

"Nice!", Edward exclaims. "Good one, babe!"

 

With Lan Fan's help, the remaining Ravagers out either killed, severely injured, or they've run off during the battle. 

 

Ed turns to Ling with a smile on his lips, but it dies when his boyfriend scoops him up into his arms.

 

"Whoa, Ling, hey, I'm right here." He moves around so that his arms are wrapped a little loosely around Ling's neck. "You alright, babe? I know I'm kinda sweaty,  so sorry if this isn't the best reunion."

 

"You smell fine, Ed. You always do."Ling breathes deeply, his breath tickling Edward's neck. "I just missed you. A lot."

 

Ed looks over Ling's shoulder to where Lan Fan is cleaning their knives. " _Separation_ _anxiety_.", they mouth. " _Really_ _bad_."

 

" _Oh_..", Ed mouths back. Lan Fan gives him a thumbs up. 

 

"Oh, Ling." He sighs and rests his cheek on Ling's hair. How it's remained this soft in a world without conditioner, no one may ever know. 

 

"They didn't hurt you, did they?", Ling whispers. The crack in his voice matches the rollercoaster drop Ed's heart goes down as his boyfriend cries into his shoulder.

 

"No, Ling, I'm fine.", he says. "Who cares if they hurt me?"

 

Ling sets him down and grabs his face. There are worry lines forming above his eyebrows. Edward resists the urge to smooth them out with his fingers. 

 

"I care, dammit!" He rests his forehead on Edward's and shudders. "You've been gone for nearly 3 weeks and the last thing I gave you was a gun, for Christ's sake! I didn't even get to tell you I love you or take you on that date, and the last thing we did was argue about if we were gonna die."

 

Ed sets his hands on Ling's arms. "I love you, Ling.", he says quietly. "I really, really love you."

 

Ling crosses his arms "Well, I love you too, but to be fucking frank, I'm still kinda pissed at you." He kisses Edward forehead. "Glad we found you, though."

 

Ed links his hand with Ling's. "I would know you in death, at the end of the world."

 

Ling smiles, squeezing their joined hands tightly. "As would I."

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> like i, a gay, wouldn't use a quote from the song of achilles in my fic...wow unrealistic
> 
> i actually? didn't plan to write this but ive never written gory, zombie stuff before so this was fun!
> 
> originally i was gonna have al get bitten by a zombie, but its minor so he retains his normal form but he gets the milky eyes and sunlight sensitivity of a ravager. but i scrapped it bc thats another idea for another fic at a soon to be announced date ;)
> 
> (I got the idea for my ravagers from the comic countdown to countdown by velocesmells! super good dystopian comic for if you like this fic!)


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